“V-type” internal combustion engine (ICE) assemblies are traditionally defined by an engine block having a pair of outwardly angled cylinder banks with inside walls that define an interbank valley therebetween. Each cylinder bank of a typical V-type, over-head valve internal combustion engine assembly defines one or more cylinder bores each having a piston reciprocally movable therein. The piston and cylinder bore cooperate with a portion of a cylinder head, which is generally attached to the top face of the cylinder bank, to form a variable volume combustion chamber.
The cylinder head defines intake ports through which air, provided by an intake manifold, is selectively introduced into the combustion chamber. Additionally, the cylinder head defines exhaust ports through which exhaust gases or products of combustion are selectively evacuated from the combustion chamber. Normally, an exhaust manifold is affixed to the cylinder head, by bolting or other fastening means, such that the exhaust manifold communicates with each exhaust port to carry the exhaust gases from the ICE to a vehicular exhaust aftertreatment system, which may include a catalytic converter and muffler, for subsequent treatment and release into the atmosphere. In some cases, the exhaust manifold may also be integrated into the cylinder head.
Many modern day ICE assemblies employ a mechanical supercharging device, such as a turbocharger (short for turbine driven, forced induction supercharger), to compress the airflow before it enters the intake manifold in order to increase engine power and efficiency. Specifically, a turbocharger is a gas compressor that forces more air and, thus, more oxygen into the combustion chambers of the ICE than is otherwise achievable with ambient atmospheric pressure. The additional mass of oxygen-containing air that is forced into the ICE improves the engine's volumetric efficiency, allowing it to burn more fuel in a given cycle, and thereby produce more power.
Noise is often generated during the introduction of air into the air intake system by an acoustic phenomena known as “intake pulsing”. Various methods may be employed to attenuate the intake noise of an internal combustion engine. A resonator, for example, may be attached to the air induction system, typically using clamps and hoses, upstream from the intake manifold (e.g., to the air cleaner or intake body). Resonator devices of various configurations are available in the prior art which are specifically designed to counteract, attenuate, and/or absorb intake air sound energy. Induction tuning of the intake manifold not only reduces unwanted noise, but maximizes air flow by minimizing or counteracting the effects of standing waves and other acoustic phenomena generated in the air induction system.
During normal operation of internal combustion engines, including diesel and gasoline engines, some gas in the combustion chamber will begin to leak into the crankcase. Gas escapes through gaps between the piston and the cylinder during the compression and combustion strokes. This gas, commonly referred to in the art as “blowby”, contains trace amounts of lubrication oil, unburned fuel, and water vapor. Excessive blowby gas may result in reduced cylinder compression, as well as oil contamination and dilution.
Alternate methods have been proposed to minimize the occurrence and effects of the blowby phenomena. Crankcase Ventilation systems are designed to evacuate blowby gases from the crankcase, and prevent the blowby gases from being expelled into the atmosphere. Such ventilation systems recirculate the blowby gases back into the intake manifold, to re-enter the combustion chamber as part of a fresh charge of air and fuel. An oil separator is often incorporated into the blowby gas ventilation system to separate oil from the blowby gas, and thereby reduce the amount of oil which is ventilated to the intake path of the ICE and burnt in the combustion chamber.